This invention relates generally to retractable roof structures for automotive vehicles and more specifically to a multi-part hard top convertible roof.
Automotive vehicles with retractable roofs or tops are commonly referred to as convertibles. Soft top roofs are made of flexible material, which allow the top to be easily folded and stored between open and closed positions. One such example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,274 entitled xe2x80x9cMotorized Drive System For a Convertible Roof of an Automotive Vehiclexe2x80x9d which issued to Tokarz on Jun. 30, 1998, and is incorporated by reference herein. Unfortunately, soft top roofs are subject to rapid deterioration and are not good noise and heat insulators.
Manually removeable hard top roofs, on the other hand, possess excellent properties of insulation, water sealing and durability, but are often impractical due to the weight of the tops which makes their manual removal difficult for the average person. Also, they present storage difficulties in the vehicle.
Retractable hard-top roof systems for convertible automotive vehicles are well known. Traditionally, such retractable hard-top roof systems employ a plurality of rigid roof panels which can be retracted for stowage into the trunk of the automotive vehicle. One such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,939,742 entitled xe2x80x9cFoldable Vehicle Topxe2x80x9d which issued to Dardarian et al. on Jun. 7, 1960. The top is designed for swinging movement between a raised and lowered position. A cable is anchored to pulley members to control the effective length of the cable. With continued use of the device, however, the cable may stretch thus requiring frequent adjustment to the deployment mechanism. Additionally, the top is stored in the trunk thus pre-empting valuable storage space.
Other examples of such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.: 5,195,798 entitled xe2x80x9cRetractable Roof For Vehiclesxe2x80x9d which issued to Klein et al. on Mar. 23, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,634 entitled xe2x80x9cUpper Body Structure For A Convertible Vehiclexe2x80x9d which issued to Shiraishi et al. on Aug. 8, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,970 entitled xe2x80x9cRoof Assembly for a Convertible Vehiclexe2x80x9d which issued on Nov. 9, 1999 to Rothe et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,299 entitled xe2x80x9cApparatus for Achieving Automotive Vehicle Roof Insulationxe2x80x9d which issued to Purcell, et al. on Jul. 14, 1998; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,375 entitled xe2x80x9cRetractable Hard-top for an Automotive Vehiclexe2x80x9d which issued to Alexander, et al. on Jul. 28, 1998; all of which are incorporated by reference herein. Thus, there is a need for a simple two part convertible roof that is compact, rugged and minimizes the need for adjustment to the retraction mechanism.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a retractable hard-top roof for an automobile vehicle is provided. In another aspect of the present invention, a retraction mechanism couples a rear roof section and a front roof section to a vehicle. A further aspect of the present invention employs a lever arm which is elongated in a generally cross-car direction, driven by an automatic actuator, which has one end coupled to a pivot and an opposite end which can move in a generally vertical direction.
In still another aspect of the present invention, a method for deploying a hard-top roof from a storage compartment of an automotive vehicle is disclosed. The method includes moving a rigid front roof section and a rigid rear roof section along a generally vertical axis from the storage compartment. Then, angularly rotating the front roof section from the substantially vertical axis to separate from the rear roof section. Next, rotatably deploying the front roof section to an extended position. Then, angularly translating the rear roof section from the substantially vertical axis to move the rear roof section between the front roof section and the body of the vehicle.
The present invention is advantageous over conventional devices since the present invention provides a retractable roof with a front roof portion that is angularly and rotatably extended and is stored so that the front roof portion is nested in the rear roof portion that is simple, compact, rugged and easy to operate. Additionally, the device reduces the need for adjustments to the retraction mechanism by providing a robust hydromechanical deployment unit. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.